1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc cartridge that contains a disc-like recording medium, such as an optical disc, magneto-optical disc, a magnetic disc or the like, and which has an opening for providing access to the recording medium for recording and/or reproducing an information signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a disc cartridge comprises a flat rectangular cartridge body consisting of an upper case and a lower case coupled with each other, and a disc, such as an optical disc, magneto-optical disc, or an magnetic disc, rotatably contained in the cartridge body. Each of the upper and lower cases has an opening for exposing that region of the disc which extends from the center portion of the disc to the outer peripheral portion thereof. A pick-up and a turn-table for rotating the disc of a recording reproduction device access the disc through the opening portions. In addition, the cartridge body is equipped with a slidable shutter for closing and opening the opening sections. The shutter is made of a thin metal plate or hard synthetic resin.
On each of the outer surfaces of the cases is formed a concave label adhering portion such that the concave portion is recessed from the other portions of the surface, and an indication label for indicating the contents of the disc is adhered to each of the label adhering portions.
When a disc cartridge having the above-mentioned structure is loaded into a disc recording reproduction device, the shutter is slid at first to an end of the cartridge body by a shutter open/close mechanism, thereby opening the opening portions. Subsequently, a turn-table is inserted into the cartridge body through one of the opening portions to support the disc, and a pick-up faces the surface of the disc through the opening portion. In this state, the disc is rotated by the turn-table, and recording and/or reproduction is performed by the pick-up.
In this kind of disc cartridge, the disc is contained in the cartridge body and the opening portions are closed by the shutter when the disc cartridge is not used, thus realizing safe disc storage. In addition, because the shutter is slid so that the disc in the cartridge body is exposed through the opening portions to enable recording and reproduction, permanent use of the disc is realized.
In the disc cartridge having the structure described above, however, while the disc protection ensures that the disc, will last the disc cannot be taken out of the cartridge body so that it is difficult to directly load the disc itself in the disc recording/reproducing device, for example. This kind of disc cartridge thus receives severe limitations in the degree of freedom in disc use.
Particularly, in recent years, there have been requests for a disc cartridge applicable to both a disc recording/reproducing device which is used with one disc singly loaded thereto, and a disc recording/reproducing device which is used with the entire disc cartridge loaded thereto.